System, program product, and methods for social network advertising and incentives for same

ABSTRACT

Program product, systems, and methods of providing to social network websites advertising and incentives from an electronic retailer, are provided. A system can include a social network website displaying social network content and also displaying a link that reroutes the consumer to an electronic retailer website when the consumer clicks on the link. The system can also include program product for tracking purchase and other information about the consumer by the electronic retailer, and generating a commission for the provider of the social network website based on the tracked information about the consumer. The link can be embedded within the social network content or the link can be part of an advertisement and displayed adjacent the social network content. Also, a product featured in the advertisement can be affiliated with one main subject of the social network content.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional of and claims the benefit of andpriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/031,039, filed onFeb. 25, 2008, titled “System, Program Product, and Methods for SocialNetwork Advertising and Incentives for Same,” and claims the benefit ofand priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/016,242,filed Dec. 21, 2007, titled “Website Affiliate Incentive Product,System, and Associated Methods,” each incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electronic commerce throughcommunication networks, and more particularly, to systems, programproducts, and methods for managing advertisement development andplacement on social network website.

2. Description of the Related Art

Electronic retailers, like their brick and mortar counterparts, like toattract consumers to their storefronts. In addition, electronicretailers like to encourage consumers to linger at their storefronts andto entice the consumer to make purchases. It is recognized that theconversational and participatory nature of social media promoteslingering and follow-up visits, as illustrated by the recent success ofsites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr. Furthermore, suchsocial media can offer unique opportunities for consumers to interactwith products and demonstrate the use of products in creative, humorous,fantastic, and interesting ways by publishing consumer-producedpictures, video, and audio clips. These demonstrations are oftenpersuasive expressions of appreciation in that they often take place inreal situations with real people under real conditions, as opposed totaking place in a studio with scripted actors under artificialconditions.

Search engine results can be instrumental in driving a significantportion of internet traffic to their storefronts. Overall, however, suchdriving force is not done so proportionally. Various websites arefavored by the search engines over others. That is, some websites aremore attractive to the search engines, than others, depending upon theircontent. As such, recognized by the inventor is the need to develop orobtain access to content that is more attractive to the various searchengines. Also recognized is that social media tends to attract veryfavorable natural language search results from the various searchengines. Such social media generally includes blogs and other socialnetwork websites having any communications format where users publishthe content, such as, for example, internet forums, message boards,weblogs, wikis, podcasts, audio, pictures, and video. The favorablenatural language search results for social media may be at least in partdue to the significant context provided within social media both interms of the amount and nature of the content.

Although such social network websites, such as MySpace, Facebook,YouTube, and Flickr, and numerous individual blogs, are very popular interms of overall internet traffic, inherent in social networks, however,is the challenge of motivating authors and content providers to createand offer content. As Milton Friedman popularized, “There is no suchthing as a free lunch.” To monetize, or in many cases subsidize, theirefforts, many providers of social network websites attempt to obtainsponsorship or advertising revenue.

Under conventional advertising models, advertisers typically sponsorcontent on various websites using cost-per-viewing orcost-per-click-through to determine the value of the advertising byestimating the amount of traffic to the website. That is, under theconventional models, advertisers pay for impressions or click-throughs.The inventor has recognized that many advertisers can be uncomfortableassigning a value to an impression of or a click-through from anindividual blog or other social network website and that theconventional models for advertising on social network websites,therefore, underperform. Accordingly, the inventor has recognized a needin the art to provide incentives and commissions for third-party contentdevelopment for a website of an electronic retailer.

The inventor has further recognized that an electronic retailer has theability to better value the advertising on a social network website bytracking behavioral information about a consumer from click-through topurchase and by generating commissions to content providers, socialnetwork providers, and/or both, in response to actual consumer behavior,as opposed to relying exclusively on impressions or click-throughs. Theinventor has also recognized numerous advantages with an advertisingmodel that directly associates social network websites with anelectronic retailer.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, various embodiments of the present inventionadvantageously provide products, systems, and methods of providing tosocial network websites advertising and incentives from an electronicretailer. Various embodiments of the present invention provide a modelfor advertising on a social network website by an electronic retailertracking a consumer from click-through to purchase and generatingcommissions in response to actual consumer behavior, as opposed torelying exclusively on impressions or click-throughs. Embodiments of thepresent invention advantageously reduce the risk to the advertiser byeliminating speculative advertising purchases. Moreover, variousembodiments of the present invention provide an inexpensive,quantitative approach to determining the advertising value of a socialnetwork website. As such, according to various embodiments of thepresent invention, web-based sales are generated by electronic retailersadvertising on social network websites, and electronic retailers provideincentives to providers of a social network websites and/or contentproviders in the form of commissions.

Various embodiments of the present invention can unite social mediacontent provided by third-party content providers with items for salefrom an electronic retailer. According to an example of such anembodiment of the present invention, social media content and items forsale are first associated within an electronic retailer computer. Thesocial media content and advertisements for the items for sale then arecombined and formatted in a common website. The social media content andadvertisements for the items for sale are jointly displayed to aconsumer so that a consumer can choose to purchase an item for saleafter viewing at least a portion of the social media content. When aconsumer purchases an item through an advertisement associated with thesocial media content, a sales commission for the third-party contentprovider is generated. Thus, according to such embodiments of thepresent invention, web-based sales are generated by social mediacontent, and the provision of social media content is incentivized bysales commissions offered by an electronic retailer.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a method ofadvertising on a social network website by an electronic retailer.According to an example of an embodiment of the present invention, sucha method includes displaying social network content on a website,defined as a social network website, viewable on a computer by aconsumer, as understood by those skilled in the art. The social networkcontent can include a video segment with audio, a video segment withoutaudio, an audio segment, a picture, text, or a combination thereof. Themethod further includes displaying a link on the social network websiteto a website of an electronic retailer and rerouting the consumer fromthe social network website to the electronic retailer website when theconsumer clicks on the link on the social network website, as understoodby those skilled in the art. The method continues with the electronicretailer tracking information about the consumer. Such trackedinformation can include the link on the social network website clickedby the consumer, duration of time the consumer spends viewing theelectronic retailer website, duration of time the consumer spendsviewing other electronic retailer website web pages, movements by theconsumer within the electronic retailer website, the number of times theconsumer returns to the electronic retailer website during anestablished time period, information regarding purchases by the consumerfrom the electronic retailer website, and other information asunderstood by those skilled in the art. In addition, the method alsoincludes generating a commission for the social network website providerand/or a content provider based on the tracked information about theconsumer to thereby encourage additional display of additional socialnetwork content having at least one link to the electronic retailerwebsite associated therewith. That is, the method can advantageouslyprovide a model for advertising on a social network website by anelectronic retailer that generates commissions in response to actualconsumer behavior, as opposed to relying exclusively on impressions orclick-throughs.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the link can beembedded within the social network content, or the link can be part ofan advertisement and displayed adjacent the social network content. Inaddition, as understood by those skilled in the art, an advertisementcontaining the link can feature a product available from the electronicretailer related to the social network content. That is, the productfeatured in the advertisement can be affiliated with one main subject ofthe social network content, as understood by those skilled in the art.

In an example of an embodiment of the present invention, a socialnetwork website can contain a narrative about a particular father-sonfly fishing trip on a named river in a certain state. The narrative canalso, for example, be illustrated by pictures taken during the trip. Thesocial network website can display adjacent the narrative, for example,an advertisement for the rod and reel as used by the father in thenarrative, the sleeping bag as used by the son, or a reservation to hirethe services of the fishing guide's outfit. When a consumer views thenarrative on the social network website, clicks the link in theadvertisement to purchase the rod and reel, is rerouted to the websiteof the electronic retailer, and completes a purchase, the provider ofthe social network website earns a sales commission. In this embodiment,the provider of the social network website is the son (or father) in thenarrative and also the author of the content. In another embodiment, thewebsite provider is an intermediary. For example, in an example ofanother embodiment of the present invention, the content provider is theson (or father) in the narrative and also the author of the content.According to such embodiments of the present invention, the provider ofthe social network website and/or content provider is incentivized topublish the narrative in exchange for the commissions.

In another example of an embodiment of the present invention, the socialnetwork content can be an amateur video of teenagers performing tricksat a skate park. Adjacent the content can be, for example,advertisements for a Mountain Dew t-shirt which one of the acrobats iswearing, a book on skateboarding, and a Tony Hawk video game. Asunderstood by those skilled in the art, each advertisement can include alink to the electronic retailer website. Alternately, the advertisementscan all be in a family, e.g., all related to skateboarding equipment,according to an embodiment of the present invention. When a consumerviews the narrative on the social network website, clicks a link in theadvertisement, is rerouted to the website of the electronic retailer,and spends an established amount of time at the website of theelectronic retailer (whether or not the consumer ultimately completes apurchase), the provider of the social network website earns a commissionbased on the tracked behavior of the consumer.

In yet another example of an embodiment of the present invention, thesocial network website can contain a narrative about the proper methodfor training a pet dog. When a consumer views the content on a website,the website displays a link to the associated electronic retailer. Afterviewing the narrative, the consumer may decide to click on the link tothe associated electronic retailer and purchase a product, which may ormay not be related to the content of the narrative the consumer viewed.When the consumer completes the transaction with the electronicretailer, the content provider earns a commission. In this example, thesocial network content provider is the author of the content. Suchembodiments of the present invention incentivize the author to write andpublish the narrative in exchange for commissions.

According to an example of embodiment of the present invention, a searchby a consumer using a search engine can result in the displaying of thesocial network website to the consumer. Because the social networkwebsite provides a link to electronic retailer website, the search by aconsumer using a search engine can result in displaying to the consumerlinks to the electronic retailer website. Therefore, various embodimentsof the present invention include an electronic retailer obtaining morefavorable results from search engines as a function of advertising onsocial network websites. In the embodiment above, for example, aconsumer's search consisting of the words “fly fishing” and the name ofthe river in a certain state can therefore return the social networkwebsite, including the advertisements containing the links to theelectronic retailer's website, due to the social network content.

Various embodiments of the present invention include administering anaffiliate program of social network websites. In addition to providingcommissions, the electronic retailer can offer recommendations to theaffiliated social network website providers and access to specials andpromotions as benefits of the program. As an example, affiliated socialnetwork websites may have an exclusive availability to provide links toproducts associated with an anticipated summer blockbuster, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

Because the electronic retailer can track information about theconsumer, as understood by those skilled in the art, the social networkwebsite can obtain a sales commission when a consumer is rerouted to theelectronic retailer website, declines to purchase an item initially,returns to the electronic retailer website within an established periodof time, and then completes a purchase, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. Alternately, as understood by those skilled inthe art, the social network website can obtain a commission when aconsumer is rerouted to the electronic retailer website, declines topurchase an item initially, but repeatedly returns to the electronicretailer website within an established period of time, becoming aregular shopper of the electronic retailer, according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

In addition, various embodiments of the present invention provide theelectronic retailer an ability to track consumer interaction with thecontent and change the items for sale associated with the content basedon the data gathered and other data, such as inventories, profitmargins, and prices of the items for sale. Thus, when an item is soldout or on back order, that item is no longer advertised along side thesocial media content. Alternately, if the social media content fails toprovide sufficient sales for a particular item, the advertisement forthat item may be replaced by an advertisement for a different item,according to embodiments of the present invention.

Various embodiments of the present invention also provide a system ofadvertising on a social network website by an electronic retailer.According to an example of an embodiment of the present invention, sucha system includes an electronic retailer computer, one or more remotesocial network website computers, and one or more remote consumercomputers, all remote from and in communication with each other throughan electronic communication network. The social network website computerincludes a program product stored in a tangible computer medium that isreadable by the social network website computer to perform variousoperations. The operations can include displaying social network contenton a website viewable on the consumer computer, displaying a link on thesocial network website to a website of an electronic retailer, andrerouting the consumer from the social network website to the electronicretailer website when the consumer clicks on the link on the socialnetwork website.

The electronic retailer computer can include a program product stored ina tangible computer medium that is readable by the electronic retailercomputer to perform the operation of tracking information about theconsumer by the electronic retailer and generating a commission for theprovider of the social network website and/or the provider of the socialnetwork content if not provided by the social network website, based onthe tracked information about the consumer, to thereby encourageadditional display of additional social network content having at leastone link to the electronic retailer website associated therewith. Suchtracked information can include the link on the social network websiteclicked by the consumer, duration of time the consumer spends viewingthe linked electronic retailer website web page, duration of time theconsumer spends viewing other electronic retailer website web pages,movements by the consumer within the electronic retailer website, thenumber of times the consumer returns to the electronic retailer websiteduring an established time period, information regarding purchases bythe consumer from the electronic retailer website, and other informationas understood by those skilled in the art.

In addition to generating web-based sales and incentivizing contentdevelopment for a website, various embodiments of the present inventionprovide methods and systems positioned to generate web-based sales.According to an example of an embodiment of the present invention, sucha system includes an electronic retailer computer, one or more remotecontent provider computers in communication with the electronic retailercomputer through an electronic communication network, and one or moreremote consumer computers. The electronic retailer computer includessocial media content received from a content provider computer and awebsite generation program product stored in a tangible computer mediumthat is readable by the electronic retailer computer. The websitegeneration program product associates the content with items for sale(e.g., products) and correspondingly automatically generates and formatsa website with the content adjacent related advertisements.

Specifically, the website generation program product can cause theelectronic retailer computer to perform the operations of receivingsocial network content from a content provider, initiating a search of adatabase of for products for sale responsive to receiving the socialnetwork content, to identify products related to the received socialnetwork content, and responsively generating the social network websiteto include: the social network content; an advertisement displayedadjacent the social network content so that the consumer can view theadvertisement at the same time as at least a portion of the socialnetwork content; and a link to an electronic retailer website web pagefeaturing at least one product affiliated with at least one main subjectof the social network content. The consumer computer displays thewebsite generated by the electronic retailer computer so that a consumercan choose to purchase an item after viewing at least a portion of thecontent.

In addition, various embodiments of the system include generating asales commission for the third-party content provider based on thebehavior of the consumer with respect to the electronic retailer,whether or not the consumer purchases an item.

Various embodiments of the present invention also include a programproduct stored in a tangible computer medium implementing the methodsand features described herein. For example, a program product accordingto an embodiment of the present invention can include instructions thatwhen executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform variousoperations including displaying social network content including one ormore of the following: a video segment with audio, a video segmentwithout audio, an audio segment, a picture, and text, on a socialnetwork website, and displaying a link on the social network website toa website of an electronic retailer. The link can advantageously be partof an advertisement for a product affiliated with a main subject of thesocial network content selected for association therewith by one or moreof the following: a provider of the social network website and aprovider of the social network content, with the advertisement displayedadjacent the social network content so that the consumer can view theadvertisement at the same time as at least a portion of the socialnetwork content. The operations can also include rerouting the consumerfrom the social network website to the electronic retailer website whenthe consumer clicks on the link on the social network website.

For example, a program product according to an embodiment of the presentinvention can include instructions that when executed by a computer,cause the computer to perform various operations including trackinginformation about a consumer by the electronic retailer, and generatinga commission for one or more of the following: a provider of the socialnetwork website and a provider of the social network content, based onthe tracked information about the consumer, to thereby encourageadditional display of additional social network content having at leastone link to the electronic retailer website associated therewith. Thetracked information can include an indication of a link on a socialnetwork website clicked by the consumer, duration of time the consumerspends viewing a electronic retailer website web page, duration of timethe consumer spends viewing other electronic retailer website web pages,movements by the consumer within the electronic retailer website, numberof times the consumer returns to the electronic retailer website duringan established time period, and information regarding purchases by theconsumer from the electronic retailer website. The operations can alsoinclude generating statistical data for an aggregation of trackedinformation for multiple consumers responsive to the tracked informationfor a plurality of consumers, and recommending a second link to aparticular product to a provider of a social network website and/or theprovider of the social network content (if not also the provider of thesocial network website) by the electronic retailer by the electronicretailer for inclusion with the social network content based on thegenerated statistical data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the features and benefits of the invention,as well as others which will become apparent, may be understood in moredetail, a more particular description of the invention brieflysummarized above may be had by reference to the embodiments thereofwhich are illustrated in the appended drawings, which form a part ofthis specification. It is also to be noted, however, that the drawingsillustrate only various embodiments of the invention and are thereforenot to be considered limiting of the invention's scope as it may includeother effective embodiments as well.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system to provide advertisingon a social network website by an electronic retailer according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic retailer computeraccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a program product associated witha social network computer according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a program product associated withan electronic retailer computer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a method of advertising on asocial network website by an electronic retailer according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a website affiliate programaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flow diagram of a method of advertising by anelectronic retailer according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow diagram of a process to incentivize contentdevelopment for a website according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a third-party content providerand website affiliate program according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic flow diagram of a process of generating web-basedsales according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a partial schematic diagram of a website of a program productand system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a partial schematic diagram of a website of a program productand system according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a partial schematic diagram of a social network websiteaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments ofthe invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theillustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Prime notation, if used,indicates similar elements in alternative embodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an inexpensive,quantitative approach to determining the advertising value of a website,including a social network website, to an electronic retailer. Underexisting models, advertisers pay for impressions or clicks-throughs.Under embodiments of the present invention, an electronic retaileradvantageously pays commissions to the provider of a website, includinga social network website, based on actual consumer behavior of aconsumer, including purchase information.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, embodiments of the present inventioninclude a system 30 for providing advertising on a social networkwebsite 37 by an electronic retailer 101. The system 30 includes a firstcomputer, defining an electronic retailer computer 31. The electronicretailer computer 31 includes an electronic retailer website 33. Thesystem 30 also includes one or more second computers, defining a socialnetwork website computer 35. The social network website computer 35includes a social network website 37, which displays social networkcontent 39 and a link 43 to the electronic retailer website 33. Thesocial network content 39 can include, for example, a video segment withaudio, a video segment without audio, an audio segment, a picture, text,or a combination thereof. The link 43 can include, for example, ahyper-text link associated with a product related text item embedded inthe content 39 or an advertisement icon selectable by a customer.

The system 30 further includes one or more third computers, defining aconsumer computer 51. The electronic retailer computer 31, the socialnetwork website computer 35, and the consumer computer 51 are allpositioned remote from each other and in communication with each otherthrough an electronic communication network 53. The system 30 furtherincludes program products, as illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 2, 3and 4, associated with the social network website computer 35 and theelectronic retailer computer 31.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the social networkwebsite computer 35 includes a program product, as illustrated in FIG.3, located in a computer readable memory 55 that comprises a set ofinstructions 57 that, when executed by the computer 35, causes thecomputer to perform various operations. The operations includedisplaying social network content 39 on a website 37 viewable on theconsumer computer 51 (block 61). The social network content 39 caninclude one or more of the following: a video segment with audio, avideo segment without audio, an audio segment, a picture, and text. Theoperations further include displaying a link 43 on the social networkwebsite 37 to the electronic retailer website 33 (block 63). Theoperations also include rerouting the consumer from the social networkwebsite 37 to the electronic retailer website 33 when the consumerclicks on the link 43 on the social network website 37 (block 65).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronicretailer computer 31 includes a program product, as illustrated in FIG.4, located in a computer readable memory 71 that comprises a set ofinstructions 73 that, when executed by the computer 31, causes thecomputer to perform various operations. The operations can include theelectronic retailer tracking information 41 about the consumer, e.g.,customer behavior (block 81). Such tracked information 41 can includethe link 43 on the social network website 37 to an item or items forsale 45 clicked by the consumer, the duration of time the consumerspends viewing the linked electronic retailer website web page, theduration of time the consumer spends viewing other electronic retailerwebsite web pages, movements by the consumer within the electronicretailer website 33, the number of times the consumer returns to theelectronic retailer website 33 during an established time period (e.g.,one week, two weeks, or 30 days, etc.), information regarding purchasesby the consumer from the electronic retailer website 33, and otherinformation as understood by those skilled in the art. The operationsfurther include generating a commission for the provider of the socialnetwork website and/or content provider based on the tracked informationabout the consumer (block 83).

A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that varioustypes of memory 55, 71, are readable by a computer. The memory 55, 71,can include volatile and nonvolatile memory known to those skilled inthe art including, for example, RAM, ROM, and magnetic or optical disks,just to name a few. Note, it should also be understood that theillustrated computer/server configuration is given by way of example andthat other types of computers or servers configured according to variousother methodologies known to those skilled in the art can be used. Thecomputers 31 and 35, shown schematically in, for example, FIG. 1represents a computer, server, or computer/server cluster or farm andare not limited to any individual physical configuration. The variouscomputer sites may be deployed as a computer/server farm orcomputer/server cluster managed by a serving hosting provider. Thenumber of computers/servers and their architecture and configuration maybe increased based on usage, demand and capacity requirements for thesystem 30.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the instructions 73are provided as part of a commission generation program product 85.Further, in an embodiment where the social network website 37 isgenerated by the electronic retailer 101, the commission generationprogram product 85, functioning across multiple computers 31, 35, canalso include instructions 57. Note, the commission generation programproduct 85 can be in the form of microcode, programs, routines, andsymbolic languages that provide a specific set for sets of orderedoperations that control the functioning of the hardware and direct itsoperation, as known and understood by those skilled in the art. Notealso, the commission generation program product 51, according to anembodiment of the present invention, need not reside in its entirety involatile memory, but can be selectively loaded, as necessary, accordingto various methodologies as known and understood by those skilled in theart.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, as well as FIGS. 1 and 6, an embodiment of thepresent invention provides a method of advertising on a social networkwebsite 37 by an electronic retailer. The method includes displayingsocial network content 39 on a social network website 37 viewable on acomputer 51 by a consumer (block 91), as understood by those skilled inthe art. The social network content 39 can include a video segment withaudio, a video segment without audio, an audio segment, a picture, text,and/or a combination thereof. The method further includes displaying alink 43 on the social network website 37 to an electronic retailerwebsite 33 (block 93) and rerouting the consumer from the social networkwebsite 37 to the electronic retailer website 33 when the consumerclicks on the link 43 on the social network website 37 (block 95), asunderstood by those skilled in the art. The method continues with theelectronic retailer tracking information about the consumer's behavior(block 97). Such tracked information 41 can include the link 43 on thesocial network website clicked by the consumer, the duration of time theconsumer spends viewing one or more web pages of the electronic retailerwebsite 33, movements by the consumer within the electronic retailerwebsite 33, the number of times the consumer returns to the electronicretailer website 33 during an established time period, informationregarding purchases by the consumer from the electronic retailer website33, and/or other information as understood by those skilled in the art.Note, the tracked information 41 and the items for sale (indicia) 45 canbe stored in one or more databases 47 which can be stored in memory 71and/or memory of accessed through or otherwise associated with thedatabase server 49.

As also shown in FIG. 6, in addition, the method also includesgenerating a commission 103 for the social network website provider 105based on the tracked information 43 about the consumer 107 (block 99).That is, the method provides a model for advertising on a social networkwebsite 37 by an electronic retailer 31 that generates commissions 103in response to actual consumer behavior, as opposed to relyingexclusively on impressions or click-throughs, for this exemplaryembodiment.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the link 43 can beembedded within the social network content 39 (e.g., as Hypertext or asthey picture icon), or the link 43 can be a textual or graphic part ofan advertisement 109 and displayed adjacent the social network content39, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 11-13. In addition, as understood bythose skilled in the art, an advertisement containing the link 43 canfeature a product (i.e., good or service item for sale 45) availablefrom the electronic retailer 101 related to the social network content39. That is, the product featured in the advertisement can be affiliatedwith one main subject of the social network content 39. As understood bythose skilled in the art, the ability to target advertising by locatingan advertisement within a relevant context, according to embodiments ofthe present invention, offers a tremendous benefit to advertisers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a search by aconsumer 107 using a search engine can result in the displaying of thesocial network website 37 to the consumer 107. Because the socialnetwork website 37 provides a link 43 to the electronic retailer website33, the search by a consumer 107 using a search engine can result indisplaying to the consumer 107 links 43 to the electronic retailerwebsite 33. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention include anelectronic retailer 101 advantageously obtaining more favorable resultsfrom search engines as a function of advertising on social networkwebsites 37.

According to an embodiment of the present invention and as understood bythose skilled in the art, the step of rerouting the consumer 107 fromthe social network website 37 to the electronic retailer website 33(block 95) can involve rerouting the consumer 107 to an appropriatesection of the electronic retailer website 33, as determined byinformation contained within the link 43, based on a product, a productcategory, a brand, a price range, or a combination thereof. For example,if the one main subject of the social network content 39 concerns theproper method for training a pet dog, as discussed in an embodiment ofthe present invention above, the link 43 may contain information sothat, when the link 43 is selected, the consumer is rerouted to thesection of the electronic retailer website 33 devoted to the productcategory of dog collars and leashes, rather than the generic home pageof the electronic retailer website 33.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 and further in FIG. 6, a method of advertisingby an electronic retailer 101, according to an example of an embodimentof the present invention, includes creating an advertisement for anelectronic retailer for publication on a website (block 121), e.g.,third party or retailer sponsored. The advertisement 109 can include alink 43 to reroute a consumer 107 to the electronic retailer website 33when the consumer 107 clicks on the link 43 within the advertisement109. The method continues tracking, e.g., behavioral information 41about the consumer 107 by the electronic retailer 101 (block 123). Suchtracked information 41 can include information identifying thethird-party website (e.g., a third-party social network website 37)publishing the advertisement 109, the link 43 within the advertisement109 clicked by the consumer 107, the duration of time the consumer 107spends viewing the electronic retailer website 33, movements by theconsumer 107 within the electronic retailer website 33, the number oftimes the consumer 107 returns to the electronic retailer website 33during an established time period, information regarding purchases bythe consumer 107 from the electronic retailer website 33, and/or otherinformation as understood by those skilled in the art.

The method can further include generating a commission for thethird-party website publishing the advertisement 109 based on thetracked information 41 about the consumer 107 (block 125). The methodalso can include generating statistical data for the advertisements 109from an aggregation of tracked information 41 for multiple consumers 107(block 127) and providing a recommendation 111 recommending anadvertisement 109 to a third-party website by the electronic retailer101 based on statistical data generated (block 129).

As perhaps best illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 13, an embodiment of thepresent invention provides a social network website 37 in which thesocial network content 39 is a narrative about a particular father-sonfly fishing trip on a named river in a certain state. The narrative canalso, for example, be illustrated by pictures taken during the trip. Thesocial network website 37 can display adjacent the narrative, forexample, an advertisement 109 for the rod and reel as used by the fatherin the narrative, the sleeping bag as used by the son, or a reservationto hire the services of the fishing guide's outfit. When a consumer 107views the narrative on the social network website 37, clicks the link 43in the advertisement 109 to purchase the rod and reel, is rerouted tothe electronic retailer website 33, and completes a purchase, theprovider of the social network website earns a sales commission 103which can be generated through commission generation program product 85.In this embodiment, the provider of the social network website 37 is theson in the narrative and also the author of the content. In anotherembodiment, the social network website provider is an intermediary orowned by the electronic retailer 101, as described in more detail later.

FIGS. 1 and 5 illustrate a website affiliate program of social networkwebsite providers, according to an embodiment of the present invention,showing the relationships between an electronic retailer 101, affiliatedsocial network website providers 105, and consumers 107. According to anembodiment of the present invention, the affiliated social networkwebsite providers 105 offer consumers 107, through one or more consumercomputers 51 as understood by those skilled in the art, a social networkwebsite 33 including social network content 39 and advertising for theelectronic retailer 101. The consumer 107 provides payment for goods andservices 117 to the electronic retailer 101 for purchases made by theconsumer by various techniques as understood by those skilled in theart. In exchange, the electronic retailer 101 provides to consumers 107goods and services 115, as understood by those skilled in the art. Theelectronic retailer 101 provides to the affiliated social networkwebsite providers 105 commissions 103 in response to actual consumerbehavior, as opposed to relying exclusively on impressions orclick-throughs. In addition, the electronic retailer 101 offersrecommendations 111 to the affiliated social network website providers105 and access to specials and promotions 113. As an example, affiliatedsocial network website providers 105 can be provided an exclusiveavailability to provide links 43 to products associated with ananticipated summer blockbuster, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The recommendations 111 from the electronic retailer101 can include, for example, recommending a link 43 based onstatistical data generated for the links 43 from an aggregation oftracked information 41 for multiple consumers 107.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, and further in FIG. 1, a system 30 andcomputer implemented method of advertising by an electronic retailer101, according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention,includes additional components and procedures to incentivize socialnetwork content 39 development for the social network website 37. Forexample, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the system30, in addition to including an electronic retailer computer 31 and oneor more remote consumer computers 51, includes one or more remotethird-party content provider computers 119. According to such anembodiment of the present invention, the electronic retailer computer31, including a website generation program product 120 (FIG. 2) is incommunication with, and receives content 39 from third-party contentproviders 118 via the content provider computers 119.

As perhaps best shown in FIG. 8 and further in FIG. 9, according to anembodiment of the present invention, the website generation programproduct 120, when executed by the electronic retailer computer 31,causes the computer 31 to perform the operations of receiving content 39from a content provider computer 119 (block 141) and associating thecontent 39 with one or more items for sale (block 143) availableaccording to the inventory of items for sale 32 (see FIG. 4). Theoperations also include creating advertisements 109 for the associateditems for sale 45. An advertisement 109, for example, can include a link43 to purchase an item for sale 45 (block 145). Then, the websitegeneration program product 120 formats a website 37 so that the content39 from the third-party content provider computer 119 is adjacentadvertisements 109 for items for sale 45 from the electronic retailer101 (block 147), such as in locations illustrated in FIGS. 11-13 orother adjacent locations as understood by those skilled in the art.Next, the social network website computer 35, through the consumercomputer 51, displays the website 37 to a consumer 107 so that theconsumer 107 can choose to purchase an item for sale 45 after viewing atleast a portion of the content 39 (block 149). According to embodimentsof the present invention, when a consumer 107 performs various behaviorsassociated with visiting or purchasing from the electronic retailerwebsite 33, a sales commission for the third-party content provider 118is automatically generated (block 151). According to another embodimentof the present invention, the operations further include administeringan affiliate program of third-party content providers (block 153),similar to that previously described with respect to with third-partywebsite providers 105.

As perhaps best shown in FIG. 10 and further in FIG. 9, a computerimplemented method includes formatting a website 37 of an electronicretailer 101 with content 39 from a third-party content provider 118adjacent one or more advertisements 109 for an associated item for sale45 (block 171). Each advertisement has a link 43 to purchase an item forsale 45 so that a consumer 107 can choose to purchase an item for sale45 after viewing at least a portion of the content 39. Next, the methodincludes displaying the website 37 to a consumer 107 (block 173). Then,the method also includes generating a sales commission 103 for thethird-party content provider 118 (block 75) in response to variouscriteria, and such as, for example: producing the content 39 inassociation with the advertisement(s) 109 and link(s) 45; the consumer107 purchasing the featured item for sale 45 through an advertisement109 for an item for sale 45 associated with the content 39; the consumer107 “clicking” the link 43 in the advertisement 109 for an item for sale45 displayed adjacent the content 39 (which can be provided whether ornot the consumer purchases the item for sale 45); and/or as a result ofvarious consumer interactions with either the content 39 or with theelectronic retailer website 33 (whether or not a purchase is ever made).In addition, embodiments of the present invention include trackingconsumer interaction with the content 39 (block 181) and generatingstatistical data for the content 39 (block 183). Based on thestatistical data generated and other data including inventory, profitmargin, and price, the electronic retailer 101, for example, via thewebsite generation program product 120 can responsively change the itemsfor sale 45 associated with the content 39 (block 185). A person havingordinary skill in the art will understand that compelling content 39 canbe used to promote multiple items for sale 45.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method canfurther provide for the administering an affiliate program ofthird-party content providers 118 (block 187). As illustrated, forexample, in FIG. 9, as part of the affiliate incentive program, thethird-party content providers 118 provide content 39 to the electronicretailer 101 in exchange for certain benefits, such as, commissions 103,access to specials and promotions 113, and branding and guidancerecommendations 111 from the electronic retailer 101.

It is important to note that while various embodiments of the presentinvention have been described in the context of a fully functionalsystem, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanism ofat least portions of the present invention and/or aspects thereof arecapable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable mediumof instructions in a variety of forms for execution on a processor,processors, or the like, and that embodiments of the present inventionapply equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing mediaused to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of computerreadable media include but are not limited to: nonvolatile, hard-codedtype media such as read only memories (ROMs), CD-ROMs, and DVD-ROMs, orerasable, electrically programmable read only memories (EEPROMs),recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CD-R/RWs,DVD-RAMs, DVD-R/RWs, DVD+R/RWs, flash drives, and other newer types ofmemories, and transmission type media such as digital and analogcommunication links. For example, such media can include both operatinginstructions and operations instructions related to the various programproduct and the method steps, described above.

Throughout this specification and as understood by those skilled in theart, the term “link” is defined as a reference to an online location, apointer, a hypertext link, a hyperlink, or navigation element within awebsite to another section of the same website or to another website.Often, a link is embedded within text that is colored and underlined.Other links are embedded within icons or graphics. Typically, links arerecognized by moving a cursor over the icon and having the cursor changevisually, for example, from an arrow to a pointing finger, as understoodby those skilled in the art. Link information can generally be accessedby, for example, right-clicking on the text or icon and selectingproperties; alternately, hovering over a link may cause information topop up and be displayed over the icon, text, or graphic, as understoodby those skilled in the art. In addition, the term “rerouting” meansdirecting, redirecting, or transporting the viewer from one a section ofone website to another section of the same website or to anotherwebsite, typically as a result of clicking on a link, as understood bythose skilled in the art. Further, the terms “item for sale” and“product” refer to goods, services, and goods and services.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed a typicalpreferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms areemployed, the terms are used in a descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation. The invention has been described in considerabledetail with specific reference to these illustrated embodiments. It willbe apparent, however, that various modifications and changes can be madewithin the spirit and scope of the invention as described in theforegoing specification.

That claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method of advertising on asocial network website by an electronic retailer, the method comprisingthe steps of: receiving social network content from a third-partycontent provider computer at an electronic retailer computer of theelectronic retailer; initiating a search of a database for products forsale using the electronic retailer computer responsive to receiving thesocial network content; automatically associating the social networkcontent with one or more items for sale using the electronic retailercomputer; automatically creating an advertisement for the one or moreitems for sale using the electronic retailer computer, the advertisementcomprising a link to a webpage of the electronic retailer; automaticallyformatting a webpage such that the social network content and theadvertisement are adjacent to one another; providing the webpage to asocial network website from the electronic retailer computer; displayingthe webpage with the social network content on the social networkwebsite viewable on a computer by a consumer, the social network contentincluding one or more of the following: a video segment with audio, avideo segment without audio, an audio segment, a picture, and text;displaying the advertisement adjacent the social network content on thewebpage of the social network website; rerouting the consumer from thesocial network website to the electronic retailer webpage when theconsumer clicks on the link on the social network website; trackinginformation about the consumer by the electronic retailer, the trackedinformation including: an indication of the link on the social networkwebsite clicked by the consumer, duration of time the consumer spendsviewing the linked electronic retailer website web page, duration oftime the consumer spends viewing other electronic retailer website webpages, number of times the consumer returns to the electronic retailerwebsite during an established time period, movements by the consumerwithin the electronic retailer website, and information regardingpurchases by the consumer from the electronic retailer website; andgenerating a commission for one or more of the following: a provider ofthe social network website and a provider of the social network content,based on the tracked information about the consumer, to therebyencourage additional display of additional social network content havingat least one link to the electronic retailer website associatedtherewith.
 2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step ofdisplaying social network content on a website viewable on a computer bya consumer is responsive to a search by a search engine; and wherein thelinked electronic retailer website web page features a productidentified as being used in context within the social network content.3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of rerouting theconsumer from the social network website to the electronic retailerwebsite involves redirecting the consumer to an appropriate section ofthe electronic retailer website, as determined by information containedwithin the ink, based on one or more of the following: a product, aproduct category, a brand, and a price range.
 4. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the link is part of an advertisement, wherein theadvertisement is displayed adjacent the social network content so thatthe consumer can view the advertisement at the same time as at least aportion of the social network content; wherein a product featured in theadvertisement is affiliated with one main subjects of the social networkcontent.
 5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the method furthercomprises the steps of: generating statistical data for an aggregationof tracked information for a multiple consumers responsive to thetracked information for a plurality of consumers; and recommending asecond link to a particular product to the provider of a social networkwebsite by the electronic retailer for inclusion with the social networkcontent, based on the generated statistical data.
 6. A method as definedin claim 1, further comprising the step of: administering a websiteaffiliate program of social network website providers, the programinvolving the social network website providers advertising product onbehalf of the electronic retailer to consumers in exchange forcommissions, recommendations, and access to specials and promotions foraffiliated social network website providers.
 7. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the link is a first link, the method further comprisingthe steps of: generating statistical data for an aggregation of trackedinformation for multiple consumers responsive to the tracked informationfor a plurality of consumers; and recommending a second link to aparticular product to the provider of the social network content by theelectronic retailer for inclusion with the social network content, basedon the generated statistical data.
 8. A method of advertising by anelectronic retailer, the method comprising the steps of: receivingsocial network content from a third-party content provider computer atan electronic retailer computer of the electronic retailer; initiating asearch of a database for products for sale using the electronic retailercomputer responsive to receiving the social network content;automatically associating the social network content with one or moreitems for sale using the electronic retailer computer; automaticallycreating an advertisement for the one or more items for sale using theelectronic retailer computer, wherein the advertisement includes a linkbeing positioned to reroute a consumer to a webpage of an electronicretailer website when the consumer clicks on the link within theadvertisement; automatically formatting a webpage such that the socialnetwork content and the advertisement are adjacent to one another;providing the webpage for publication to a third-party website from theelectronic retailer computer; tracking information about the consumerusing the electronic retailer computer, the tracked informationincluding: information identifying the third-party website publishingthe advertisement, the link within the advertisement clicked by theconsumer, duration of time the consumer spends viewing the electronicretailer website, movements by the consumer within the electronicretailer website, number of times the consumer returns to the electronicretailer website during an established time period, and informationregarding purchases by the consumer from the electronic retailerwebsite; and generating a commission for the third-party websitepublishing the advertisement based on the tracked information about theconsumer to thereby encourage additional display of additional socialnetwork content having at least one link to the electronic retailerwebsite associated therewith.
 9. A method as defined in claim 8, whereinthe advertisement is displayed on the third-party website adjacent thesocial network content so that the consumer can view the advertisementat the same time as at least a portion of the social network content;wherein a product featured in the advertisement is affiliated with onmain subject of the social network content; wherein the social networkcontent including one or more of the following: a video segment withaudio, a video segment without audio, an audio segment, a picture, andtext.
 10. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising the stepsof: generating statistical data for an aggregation of trackedinformation for multiple consumers responsive to the tracked informationfor a plurality of consumers; and recommending an advertisement for aparticular product to a third-party website by the electronic retailerfor inclusion with the social network content based on statistical datagenerated.
 11. A system of advertising on a social network website by anelectronic retailer, the system comprising: a first computer beingpositioned to display an electronic retail website and defining anelectronic retailer computer; one or more second computers positionedremote from the first computer and in communication with the firstcomputer through an electronic communication network, the one or moresecond computer being positioned to display a social network website anddefining a social network website computer; one or more third computerspositioned remote from the first and second computers and incommunication with the first and second computers through an electroniccommunication network and defining a consumer computer; a first programproduct stored in a tangible computer medium that is readable by thesocial network website computer, the first program product comprising aset of instructions that, when executed by the social network websitecomputer, cause the social network website computer to perform thefollowing operations: displaying social network content on a websiteviewable on a computer by a consumer, defining a social network website,the social network content including one or more of the following: avideo segment with audio, a video segment without audio, an audiosegment, a picture, and text, displaying a link on the social networkwebsite to a web page of a website of an electronic retailer, andrerouting the consumer from the social network website to the electronicretail website when the consumer clicks on the link on the socialnetwork website; a second program product stored in a tangible computermedium that is readable by the electronic retailer computer, the secondprogram product comprising a set of instructions that, when executed bythe electronic retailer computer, cause the electronic retailer computerto perform the following operations: tracking information about theconsumer by the electronic retailer, the tracked information including:an indication of the link on the social network website clicked by theconsumer, duration of time the consumer spends viewing the linkedelectronic retailer website web page, duration of time the consumerspends viewing other electronic retailer website web pages, number oftimes the consumer returns to the electronic retailer website during anestablished time period, movements by the consumer within the electronicretailer website, and information regarding purchases by the consumerfrom the electronic retailer website, and generating a commission forone or more of the following: a provider of the social network websiteand a provider of the social network content, based on the trackedinformation about the consumer, to thereby encourage additional displayof additional social network content having at least one link to theelectronic retailer website associated therewith; and a third programproduct defining a website generation program product stored in atangible computer medium that is readable by the electronic retailercomputer, website generation program product comprising a set ofinstructions that, when executed by the electronic retailer computer,cause the electronic retailer computer to perform the followingoperations: receiving the social network content from the social networkcontent provider, initiating a search of a database for products forsale response to receiving the social network content to identifyproducts related to the received social network content, andresponsively generating the social network website to include the socialnetwork content and an advertisement displayed adjacent the socialnetwork content so that that consumer can view the advertisement at thesame time as at least a portion of the social network content; whereinthe link to the electronic retailer website web page featuring at leastone product being affiliated with at least one main subject of thesocial network content.
 12. A system as defined in claim 11, wherein theoperation of displaying social network content on a website viewable onconsumer computer is a result of a search by a search engine; whereinthe linked electronic retailer website web page features a productidentified as being used in context within the social network content;wherein the operation of rerouting the consumer from the social networkwebsite to the electronic retailer website involves directing theconsumer to an appropriate section of the electronic retailer website,as determined by information contained within the link, based on one ormore of the following: a product, a product category, a brand, and aprice range.
 13. A system as defined in claim 11, wherein the link ispart of an advertisement; wherein the advertisement is displayedadjacent the social network content so that the consumer can view theadvertisement at the same time as at least a portion of the socialnetwork content; wherein a product featured in this advertisement isaffiliated with one main subjects of the social network content.
 14. Asystem as defined in claim 11, wherein the link is a first link, andwherein the operations of the second program product further comprises:generating statistical data for an aggregation of tracked informationfor a multiple consumers responsive to the tracked information for aplurality of consumers; recommending a second link to a particularproduct to the provider of a social network website by the electronicretailer for inclusion with the social network content, based on thegenerated statistical data.
 15. A system as defined in claim 11, whereinthe link is a first link, and wherein the operations of the secondprogram product further comprise: generating statistical data for anaggregation of tracked information for multiple consumers responsive tothe tracked information for a plurality of consumers; recommending asecond link to a particular product to the provider of the socialnetwork content by the electronic retailer for inclusion with the socialnetwork content, based on the generated statistical data.
 16. Programproduct stored in a non-transitory tangible computer medium that isreadable by a computer, the program product comprising a set ofinstructions that, when executed by the computer causes the computer toperform the following operations: receiving social network content froma third-party content provider computer; initiating a search of adatabase for products for sale responsive to receiving the socialnetwork content; automatically associating the social network contentwith one or more items for sale; automatically creating an advertisementfor the one or more items for sale, the advertisement comprising a linkto a webpage of the electronic retailer; automatically formatting awebpage such that the social network content and the advertisement areadjacent to one another; providing the webpage to a social networkwebsite; displaying the social network content on the social networkwebsite viewable on a computer by a consumer, defining a social networkwebsite, the social network content including one or more of thefollowing: a video segment with audio, a video segment without audio, anaudio segment, a picture, and text; displaying the advertisement on thesocial network website, wherein the advertisement is for a productaffiliated with a main subject of the social network content selectedfor association therewith by one or more of the following: a provider ofthe social network website and a provider of the social network content,the advertisement displayed adjacent the social network content so thatthe consumer can view the advertisement at the same time as at least aportion of the social network content; rerouting the consumer from thesocial network website to the electronic retail website when theconsumer clicks on the link on the social network website; trackinginformation about the consumer, the tracked information including: aduration of time the consumer spends viewing a specific electronicretailer website web page, a duration of time the consumer spendsviewing other electronic retailer website web pages, movements by theconsumer within an electronic retailer website, number of times theconsumer returns to the electronic retailer website during anestablished time period, and information regarding purchases by theconsumer from the electronic retailer website; and generating acommission based on the tracked information about the consumer. 17.Program Product as defined in claim 16, wherein the operation ofdisplaying social network content on a website viewable on consumercomputer is a result of a search by a search engine; and wherein theoperation of rerouting the consumer from the social network website tothe electronic retailer website involves directing the consumer to anappropriate section of the electronic retailer website, as determined byinformation contained within the link, based on one or more of thefollowing: a product, a product category, a brand, and a price range.18. Program product stored in a non-transitory tangible computer mediumthat is readable by a computer, the program product comprising a set ofinstructions that, when executed by the computer causes the computer toperform the following operations: receiving social network content froma third-party content provider; initiating a search of a database forproducts for sale responsive to receiving the social network content;automatically associating the social network content with one or moreitems for sale; automatically creating an advertisement for the one ormore items for sale, the advertisement comprising a link to a webpage ofthe electronic retailer; automatically formatting a webpage such thatthe social network content and the advertisement are adjacent to oneanother; providing the webpage to a social network website; trackinginformation about the consumer in response to the consumer selecting theadvertisement on the social network website, including: an indication ofthe link on the social network website clicked by the consumer, durationof time the consumer spends viewing a specific electronic retailerwebsite webpage; duration of time the consumer spends viewing otherelectronic retailer website web pages, movements by the consumer withinthe electronic retailer website, number of times the consumer returns tothe electronic retailer website during an established time period, andinformation regarding purchases by the consumer from the electronicretailer website; and generating a commission for one or more of thefollowing: a provider of the social network website and a provider ofthe social network content, based on the tracked information about theconsumer, to thereby encourage additional display of additional socialnetwork content having at least one link to the electronic retailerwebsite associated therewith.
 19. Program product as defined in claim18, wherein the link is a first link, and wherein the operations furthercomprises: generating statistical data for an aggregation of trackedinformation for a multiple consumers responsive to the trackedinformation for a plurality of consumers; recommending a second link toa particular product to the provider of a social network website by theelectronic retailer for inclusion with the social network content, basedon the generated statistical data.
 20. Program product as defined inclaim 18, wherein the operations further comprise: generatingstatistical data for an aggregation of tracked information for multipleconsumers responsive to the tracked information for a plurality ofconsumers recommending a link to a particular product to the provider ofthe social network content by the electronic retailer for inclusion withthe social network content, based on the generated statistical data.